Spraying devices



July 30, 1963 A. M. LYNN SPRAYING DEVICES alll. Ilu'nlllll 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 27, 1961 July 30, 1963 A. M. LYNN SPRAYINGDEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 27, 1961 a l a :3

Elite My invention relates to spraying devices and particularly to aportable turbojet spraying device actuated by high pressure water forapplying insecticides, nutritional and other spray materials to growingplants. An object of the invention is to provide novel agitating meansfor maintaining insoluable materials in suspension in a fluid and jetspraying it from a portable container by water pressure. Another objectis to provide a metering means on the sprayer for controlling theconcentration of the material being sprayed. Another object is toprovide the sprayer with a jet diffuser which may be renderedinoperative when so desired. Other objects and advantages will appearmore fully from the tollowing description when taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings in which- FIG. 1 is a side elevationdisclosing a preferred embodiment of my invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of my device shown in FIG. 1 though all of theunderlying structure of FIG. 1 is not shown in FIG. 2 as to do so wouldunnecessarily complicate the plan view.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the jet diffuser plate.

FIG. 4 is a partial end view showing the jet orifice with the aspiratortube, described later, axially mounted there- FIGURE 5 shows the jetdiffuser mounted in operative position on the jet structure of thesprayer.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals designatethe same parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1, 1 designates acontainer of glass, plastic or other suitable material for holding aconcentrated spray solution or mixture of any desired composition. Thiscontainer has an upper neck portion which is threaded into a frame orcover 2 having an integral extending arm 3 and a sloping handle 4integral with arm 3 as shown. This handle provides a convenient meansfor holding and manipulating the sprayer when in use.

Threaded cover 2 has a horizontal circular casing integral with itmounted on its upper sur-fiace. This casing encloses downward throughbearing 5 into the lower part of container 1. When the sprayer is inoperation shaft 9 and agitator 8, mounted thereon, are rapidly rotatedby the rotor and the liquid contents of container 1 are thus agitated sothat insoluble materials therein are maintained in suspension thusproviding a mixture of uniform composition for spraying. The drivingrotor consists of a thick disc 6 and a plurality of radial blades 10integrally mounted around the periphery as shown in FIG. 2. When thesprayer is operating a jet of high pressure water from channel 21impinges on the blades 10 thus rotatively driving the rotor and shaft 9and agitator 8. To prevent leakage of high pressure water throughbearing 5 from the rotor casing I provide an 0 ring or other suitablewater tight seal 12 which is held in place by retainer ring 11, FIG. 1.When the sprayer is operating the rotor case is filled with highpressure water which escapes through tube 23 as a jet stream containingspray material from container 1 which may be applied to growing trees orshrubs as such or may be diffused into a finer spray by use of the jetdiffuser, FIGURES 3 and 5, as will be explained later. Jet tube 23 isbent in a smooth curve to avoid index screw housing 7 and to reduceturbulence in the stream flowing through it. Tube 23 has axially locatedin it a smaller diameter aspir'ator tube 22 which 3,099,394 PatentedJuly 30, 1963 extends through the outer convex wall of tube 23 as shownand into the annular space 24 in the index valve body 7. The highpressure water escaping through tube 23 induces a vacuum aspirator tube22 and in space 24 into which concentrated spray solution is drawn fromcontainer 1 through screen 26 and tube 25. This spray material is drawnout through tube 22 into the water jet in tube 23 which dilutes it tothe proper concentration for application to the plants being sprayed.

The ratio of concentrated spray material entering the water jet may beadjusted by turning the calibrated index wheel 30 which is integrallymounted on screw 29 which has a downwardly extending reduced diameterportion with tapered end, as shown in FIG. 1, which enables the openingfrom tube 25 into the annular space 24 in valvebody 7 to be varied.

High pressure Water is supplied to the sprayer by attaching a hose tothe threaded ferrule 19 from which tube 17 conducts the water to thelongitudinal channel in arm 3 in which a trigger operated control valveis located. This control valve consists of a hollow cylinder 16 slidablymounted in the channel in arm 3. Mounted at the rotor or inner end ofcylinder 16 is a triangular bridge piece 39a on the apex of which ismounted a conical shaped resilient valve sealing part 39 which, when thesprayer is inoperative, is pressed into the mouth of jet channel 21 bythe pressure of the water and spring 38. This valve is opened by pullingtrigger 15 which is integrally attached to cylinder 16, toward handle 4.Slot 42 in the bottom of the wall of arm 3 permits movement of trigger15. To prevent leakage of high pressure water along the outer surface ofcylinder 16 and into slot 42 I mount an 0 ring or other suitable seal ateach end of cylinder 16 as shown. These are shown as parts 14a and 14b.The outer end of the water channel in arm 3 is sealed by screw plug 28.Jet channel 21 which provides the water jet to drive the rotor may bemade in arm 3 either by drilling after the sprayer body is plasticmolded or it may be produced during the molding operation. The outer endof channel 21 is sealed by screw plug 41 mounted in lug 40 as shown inFIG. 2. The underside of the main jet housing is a flat sloping surface36 as shown in FIGURES 1, 4 and 5. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the diffuserplate 32, the edges 35 of which extend upward as shown to confine theedges of the sheet of spray liquid to the flat surface of the plate.This diffuser plate is mounted on and held in contact with surface 36 byscrew 34 and spring 31 as shown in FIG. 5. When the diffuser plate islocated in front of the jet orifice shown in FIG. 5 it is in operativeposition and spreads the jet of spray liquid issuing from the jet nozzleinto a flat sheet of liquid which breaks into spray as it is driven offthe forward edge of the plate. The jet diffuser may be renderedinoperative when desired by pressing it downward against spring 31 untilthe side flanges 35 are below the surface 36 when the diffuser plate maybe turned through an angle of degrees out of the path of the jet stream.

A preferable embodiment of my invention would be to mold the collar 2,arm 3, the rotor housing and handle 4 from a plastic molding materialmaking all the above parts integral as a single molding. The rotor androtor housing cover 13 might also be a plastic molding. Mounted on theupper surface of rotor housing cover 13 is a circular nameplate 13a.Index valve housing 7 with tube 23 and aspirator tube 22 could be madeas a metal assembly into a unit which could be positioned in the moldingdie and embedded in position by molding plastic material around them.

It is obvious that many changes and modifications of my design may bemade without departing from the principles of my invention. Thus variousdesigns of water motor may be used and the index valve shown might beomitted and the sprayer built with a fix-ratio of spray material fromcontainer 1 to the quantity of water issuing from the main jet, suchratio being a function of the relative diameters of the tubes 22 and 23.Other variations and modifications of the design shown may be madewithout departing from the essential elements of my invention, which isto be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a sprayer, a container for receiving a suspension of matter, acover on said container having a passageway therethrough terminating atone end in a nozzle for projecting water flowed through the other end,said cover having a chamber intersecting said passageway, a rotormounted in said chamber for rotation by the flow of water, an agitatorpositioned within said container and connected to said rotor forimparting a turbulence to the entire suspension in said container,aspirator means within said cover and positioned Within said passagewaybetween said chamber and said nozzle, and a tube extending from saidaspirator means into said suspension in said container.

12. In a sprayer as defined in claim 1 having an arm projecting from thecover and having an elongated trigger slot, a handle depending from theend of the arm, said arm having a passageway communicating with thetrigger slot and with the passageway leading to said chamber, said armpassageway being larger in diameter than the chamber passageway, ahollow cylinder slideably mounted in said arm passageway, a bridgemember mounted on the end of the cylinder, a resilient cone membermounted on said bridge, means for urging the cylinder toward the coverto position the cone in the chamber passageway, a trigger connected tosaid cylinder for moving the cylinder to advance the cone member fromsaid chamber passageway, and a seal positioned about the cylinder topreclude the passage of Water to the trigger slot.

3. In a sprayer as defiined in claim 1 wherein'said aspirator meansincludes a cavity formed in said cover, a tube running from said cavityand extending axially into the passageway between said chamber andnozzle, a tapered member mounted in the cover for movement into saidcavity, and means for moving said member into and out of the cavity tovary the affect of the aspirator means.

'4. In a sprayer, a container for a suspension to be mixed with water, acover for said container having a chamber :formed therein, a rotormounted in said chamber for movement by an impinging stream of water, an

agitator mounted on said rotor and projecting through said cover intosaid container for imparting a turbulence to the entire suspension, saidcover having a first passageway leading into said chamber for receivinga flow of water and impinging said flow onto said rotor, said coverhaving a second passageway leading from said chamber to an exit orifice,an a-spirator means in said second passageway and rendered ineffectiveupon a flow of water in said second passageway, and a tube running fromsaid aspirator means into the suspension in said container for conveyinga stream of said suspension into said second passageway.

5. In a sprayer, an open top container for receiving a liquid suspensionof matter, a cover on said open top of said container having a circularchamber, a rotor positioned in said chamber and having radiating bladesterminatin-g adjacent the inner circumferential wall of said chamber, ashaft attached to and extending down from said rotor through said coverand into said container, a plurality of agitator blades projecting fromthe lower section of said shaft for imparting a turbulence to the entiresuspension in said container, a nozzle projecting from said cover havinga passageway communicating with said chamber at an angle with respect tothe circumference of said chamber, said cover having an aspirator cavitybetween said nozzle and said chamber, a first tube axially positionedwithin said nozzle and having a section terminating in said cavity, asecond tube positioned within said container and extending through saidcover into said cavity, said cover having a second passageway in linewith said nozzle and having a section communicating with said chamber atan angle with respect to the circumference of said chamber forprojecting a flow of water into said rotor blades.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS820,631 Eckart May 15, 1906 1,004,700 Sites Oct. 3, 1911 1,382,633 DeVito June 28, 1921 1,668,802 Cantrell May 8, 11928 1,715,140 Martin May28, 1929 2,716,544 Exley et al. Aug. 30, 1955 2,788,245 Gilmour Apr. 9,1957 2,993,651 Packard July 25, 1961 3,013,730 Bok et al. Dec. 19, 1961FOREIGN PATENTS 477,474 Italy Dec. 23, 1953 1,014,889 Germany Aug. 29,1957 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Paftent No.3,099,394 July 30. 1963 Alger M. Lynn It is hereby certified that errorappears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that thesaid Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4, line 8, for "ineffective" read effective Signed and sealedthis 4th day of February 1964.

(SEAL) Attest: EDWIN L. REYNOLDS ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer ACti q Commissioner of Patents

1. IN A SPRAYER, A CONTAINER FOR RECEIVING A SUSPENSION OF MATTER, ACOVER ON SAID CONTAINER HAVING A PASSAGEWAY THERETHROUGH TERMINATING ATONE END IN A NOZZLE FOR PROJECTING WATER FLOWED THROUGH THE OTHER END,SAID COVER HAVING A CHAMBER INTERSECTING SAID PASSAGEWAY, A ROTORMOUNTED IN SAID CHAMBER FOR ROTATION BY THE FLOW OF WATER, AN AGITATORPOSITIONED WITHIN SAID CONTAINER AND CONNECTED TO SAID ROTOR FORIMPARTING A TURBULENCE TO THE ENTIRE SUSPENSION IN SAID CONTAINER,ASPIRATOR MEANS BETWEEN SAID CHAMBER AND SAID NOZZLE, AND A TUBEEXTENDING FROM SAID ASPIRATOR MEANS INTO SAID SUSPENSION IN SAIDCONTAINER.